Australia would not support call for ‘access to safe abortion’ at United Nations

Morrison speech criticsm part of the 'outrage machine' : Jayes8:39

Sky News host Laura Jayes says widespread criticism to Scott Morrison's comments on International Women's Day is 'part of the outrage machine'.
Ms Jayes argues that people are 'concentrating on one particular form of words' used by the Prime Minister, rather than the 'overall message'.
Mr Morrison has caused backlash after he said 'We don't want to see women rise only on the basis of others doing worse' in an address on International Women's Day last week.
The Sky News host has warned of a 'toxicity' in the diversity discourse, saying Australians should focus on being 'better together' rather than letting it become a 'men vs women debate'.
Image: News Corp Australia

March 10th 2019

2 months ago

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The United Nations logo.Source:News Limited

The government has been slapped down for declining to sign an International Women’s Day statement at the United Nations calling for better access to safe abortions.

It focused on “ensuring accountability” for human rights violations perpetrated against women.

“Accountability requires prompt investigation into violations and punishment of perpetrators as well as legal, policy and attitude shifts in order to prevent future violations,” Ms Flores Liera said.

“This includes the removal of legal barriers and discriminatory measures, and the implementation of policies and legislation that respect women and girls’ right to bodily autonomy, guarantee universal access to education and protect their sexual and reproductive health and rights through access to information, care and services, including access to safe abortion and comprehensive sexuality education.”

Ms Flores Liera was speaking on behalf of Mexico, Finland and 57 other countries who signed on to her statement. Australia was not one of them.

“Being able to make choices about our own bodies and access reproductive health are absolutely essential to achieving gender equality. No government can truly support gender equality and human rights without supporting access to safe abortions and reproductive rights,” said the centre’s legal director Edwina MacDonald.

“The Morrison government holds a really important role on the Human Rights Council, it should be using its voice at the UN to stand up for the rights of women all around the world. Instead we get hollow words here in Geneva and a failure to lift its game back home. It’s so disappointing.”

Australia is currently in the middle of a three-year term on the UN’s Human Rights Council, where it has addressed women’s rights. So far during that term, Australia has made 33 statements focusing on gender.

Those statements have addressed issues such as sexual orientation, gender identity, violence against women, reproductive health and female political participation.

“Australia consistently advances gender equality and the rights of women and girls bilaterally, and multilaterally through the United Nations and other fora,” a DFAT spokesperson told news.com.au.

“This includes strongly defending sexual and reproductive health and rights language in the Human Rights Commission, the UN General Assembly, through the UN Commission for the Status of Women, and the UN Commission for Population and Development.”

The Prime Minister added to his remarks on Saturday, telling reporters he wanted “all Australians to support the advancement of women”.

“I’m just simply saying I want to see this agenda pursued with Australians working together to achieve it with men championing it as much as women championing it, because that’s my experience,” he said.

“As a father of two daughters — I have three wonderful women in my life with Jen and my two girls — and I’m a champion of women for them and have a direct self-interest, I’ve got to say, for all women across the country.

“And so what I was saying yesterday is I don’t want to see this agenda pursued by setting women against men. No. Australian against Australian. No. I want to bring all Australians together to focus on this. That’s what I’m fair dinkum about.”